Waiting for the End
by peofun1
Summary: He killed Ryoji that night, wiping away all memories of what they had done. Everyone forgot all about Nyx, except Aigis and Koromaru. The two of them must now wait out the end of the world, knowing that there is nothing they can do to stop Nyx's coming.
1. Prologue

**SPOILER WARNING: THIS FANFIC HAS SPOILERS FOR THE END OF PERSONA THREE. JUST SAYING o.o**

Prologue

All eyes were glued on the clock as it clicked ever closer to midnight. People usually celebrate the New Year as a time of happiness and new beginnings, don't they? Starting again with a blank slate is always a welcome thought…Not in our case, however. Whatever way we choose, the world my not survive to see the next New Year. But even though the chances were slim, we had agreed that we'd rather see this through to the end.

The silence had become almost suffocating. Not that I breathe anyway, but even I was feeling the strain. I clenched and unclenched my fists, making a metallic clicking sound that echoed eerily around the common room. The clock ticked on.

Finally, it was Junpei who broke the silence. "How long is he going to take?" He grumbled irritably, though his voice trembled slightly. I could see he was shaking. Everyone was.

"Certainly Ryoji is trying to convince him otherwise once again." Mitsuru-san replied curtly. She was wringing her wrists nervously. "But I'm sure he'll make the right decision."

Yukari was playing with her hair, twisting it around her fingers. "I sure hope so." Her voice wavered, unlike how strong she had sounded only minutes ago. "I don't want to forget all that's happened…But I wish he'd get it over with."

Junpei stood suddenly and started towards the stairs. "Where are you going?" Akihiko-san called after him. Junpei's eyes looked angry.

"Did he ever even tell us his opinion?" He shouted. In his sudden anger, his hat had fallen to the floor at the bottom of the stairs. "What if he's up there right now killing Ryoji and forgetting all about what we decided?"

"He wouldn't do that!" Ken-kun looked petrified. "We all said we wanted to fight!"

"And then we sent him up there alone to make the final decision!" Junpei growled, starting up the stairs again. "I don't trust him."

"Calm down, Junpei-kun." I reasoned calmly. "He will not betray our trust."

But then we heard the shot.

"No!" Fuuka screamed. "No, he can't do this!"

Junpei had frozen at the sound, but he soon collected himself and raced up the stairs, tripping over himself has he went. Akihiko-san and Mitsuru-san stood quickly to follow, while Yukari only put her head in her hands, defeated.

I also leapt to my feet and rocketed up the stairs, blowing past Junpei in a flash. Koromaru was hot on my heels, barking wildly. Disbelief clouded my mind. How could he have done this? Someone needed to stop him, before-!

---

This will most likely be a rather short story with just a couple chapters. It's just a little something I've been thinking about since my friend told me to watch the 'bad ending' to Persona 3. What would you do if you had to wait out the end of the world, and you knew there was nothing you could do?

Anyway, I'll try to finish this up quickly. Kinda just a little something to work on while I'm between big stories. I need to hash some things out for the sequel to Black Frost, one of my Warriors fanfics.

So, please read and review, and tell me what you think of this little start!

Hooray for long author's notes!


	2. Chapter One: Robot's Best Friend

Chapter One: Robot's Best Friend

I hid away from then on…I had to. My dorm mates, who I had once called my friends, became no more than dorm mates. They didn't remember anything about me, and I new if they discovered I wasn't human it would cause a commotion. I stayed in my room and kept my head down during class. No one paid me any mind, and I didn't expect them to. I silently waited out the end of the world.

About two weeks after the betrayal, something I hadn't been expecting happened.

He walked into the common room with a sour look on his face. I had left the safety of my room for only a moment to get my math book, which I had left on the coffee table, and as I passed him I chanced a look at what was going on. Padding behind him sadly was a medium-sized white dog. He was wearing a torn white jacket and a cuff that said SEES on it.

Mitsuru-san was reading a book in one of the armchairs crowded into one side of the room. "Is that your dog?" She asked scornfully. He shook his head.

"It's mine!" I spoke up without thinking. Immediately I regretted it; it was the first thing I had said to any of them in weeks. The two of them stared at me as if they'd never seen me before in their lives. "H-He's mine." I repeated.

Mitsuru-san sniffed. "Dogs are not allowed in the dorm. You should know that, ah…Aigis."

"Yes, Senpai, I apologize. I will take him outside." Hurriedly I took the dog by the collar and led him out of the dorm, away from the accusing stares of my former friends. Once I thought we were safe, I released him. He didn't move, though. He only stared up at me with sorrowful red eyes.

"Do not look at me like that." I snapped. "You cannot stay here in the dorm anymore. You have to go back to the shrine."

Koromaru whimpered. "I don't want to go back there. It's lonely, and I miss everyone."

I blinked in surprise. Not because I could understand him; I'd always communicated with Koromaru this way. But he would only miss everyone if…"Koro-san, can you remember everything?"

His tail wagged. "Of course. How could I forget all the fun we had?" Then his ears drooped. "But they don't want me anymore. They never asked _me_ if I wanted to fight or not, and then he went and betrayed us." I rested my hand on his head and rubbed his ears. Slowly, we started to walk away from the dorm, heading towards the shrine. He had no where else to go, however lonely it was at the shrine.

After a few moments of silence, Koromaru looked up at me again. "I'm going to die, aren't I, Aigis?"

For a moment, I hesitated, almost wanting to tell him no, Koro-san, you will be fine. But there was no point in hiding it from him. Koromaru was a dog, yes, but I knew he was just as intelligent as any human. The others had always treated him like a puppy, talking down to him and acting as if he wasn't fully aware of what was going on. I knew better, though. I'd had fully conversations with him, and you'd be surprised of how well Koromaru knew the world.

"Yes, Koromaru." I sighed. "When Nyx descends, you and everyone else will perish."

Another silence passed between us. Koromaru was watching the ground pass beneath him as we walked, lost in his own thoughts. I didn't mind, though. It was good to just be with another member of SEES who still remembered our journey through Tartarus.

The weather was cold that day, but of course I couldn't feel it. I would never be able to feel the chill of January or the warmth of spring, though spring would never come again. There were few people out and about that day, and those who were were bundled in heavy coats and hunched up against the freezing wind. They paid no mind to a young school girl and her dog out for an afternoon walk.

Suddenly Koromaru asked, "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What will happen to you when Nyx comes?"

I had contemplated this constantly from the day we learned of Nyx's coming. As I was not technically alive, I couldn't be sure that I would die with the rest of the world. After all, how can something that is not alive die? Was I destined to wander the earth endlessly as the last self-conscious being? It was not an option I was too fond of.

"I don't know." I replied finally. "If Nyx does not destroy me, I will deactivate myself." It was a hard decision to make, but I would rather die with the rest of humanity than be immortal and alone.

Koromaru nodded sadly. "That's probably for the best." He rumbled. "At least you had the choice. All I can do is pray it's painless."

We let the rest of the journey go on in silence. Nothing more was needed to be said, after all. Both of us knew small talk was pointless; in a few months nothing would matter anymore. Instead we simply savored the company, each happy that we were no longer waiting out the end alone.

---

You can pretty much count on all the chapters being pretty short. It's just going to be a very short story.

Anyway, it is never explicitly stated what happens to Koromaru when you chose to kill Ryoji on New Years. It's made obvious that Aigis still remembers everything; She's a robot, her memory doesn't work the way a human's does. But I'd like to think Koromaru gets to be special also. :3


	3. Chapter Two: Striken

Chapter Two: Striken

Time passed slowly for the two of us. Koromaru and I would often take walks together, and I would pet him and rub his belly just as I used to. Sometimes we'd just stay at the shrine and talk together, carefully avoiding the topic of what the future surely held. I liked to pretend that there was no danger in the future, and Koromaru and I could wait together like this forever. But no matter how hard we try, we can't escape the niggling knowledge of what will happen. No matter how much we pretend everything's the same, deep in our hearts we know it isn't.

I watched the others from a distance, but the bond that once brought us together now seemed to span before me like an uncrossable chasm. It was almost unbearable to see them go about their lives without a care in the world. All the lessons they learn, all the challenges they'd overcome were lost to them, and they were as naive as they were when we first met.

Mitsuru had grown stone-cold. She'd accepted her role as the heir to the Kirijo group with dignity, and in doing so pushed everyone save for Akihiko away. He alone seemed to be able to reach her inside the chilling outer shell she built around herself, but even so I saw the signs of strain in him every day. The two fought like jackals, but it was always obvious that they would end up together. Still, the strong-willed female was reluctant to show any weakness, even to Akihiko, and this is what causes her unexpected rages when the two are together. I can't help but know if Mitsuru remembered how her father really died, and the bond she'd had with Yukari afterward, things would be different for the two of them.

Yukari, on the other hand, is such a completely different person I don't even find her likeable anymore. I never imagined someone like her to have such little concern for her future, but I guess this is the Yukari that existed before I came to know her. She loves to pick on others and concentrates more on how other people view her than how she views herself. I believe she has even decided to stop eating in order to keep herself skinny. Sometimes I wonder if she does this only for the attention, and I know it would be the death of her if we weren't all going to die soon anyway.

If I had a heart, it would wrench in two every time I set eyes on the laughing face of Junpei. It's not just that he's reverted to his skirt-chasing and easy-going ways, but because I still know the only reason he's alive is because Chidori's spirit resides within him. Chidori gave up her own life for him, and he doesn't even remember her name. The love he used to reserve for her is gone and forgotten, and her spirit resides unknown and hidden inside him. I know Chidori must be suffering there. I hope she knows it wasn't his fault.

I do not see Fuuka much anymore. She is always alone when I do, and I wish I could help her. Her own class doesn't pay her much mind, so I feel we have such in common. Still, I can't remember powerful and focused she once was. There was a time she became so sure of herself, but all that self-confidence was wiped away with her memories. I can't talk to her knowing that.

And him…Him, with his irresistible charm and mysteriously quiet manner has managed to date nearly every girl in our grade. I've seen him eye Mitsuru more than once, but he knows no to challenge Akihiko's claim on her. Yukari he has also left alone, no doubt unwilling to deal with the drama she would bring. The overwhelming desired to be with him that I once had has completely evaporated, leaving nothing but resentment and hatred in its place. For one who is not supposed to have feelings, my loathing for him is unbelievable strong. Everything that I once admired—his casual way of carrying himself, his deep gray eyes, the charismatic smile that girls found so attractive—now seemed only to hide the cowardice buried deep in his heart.

The thing that infuriates me the most is that sometimes I swear…Though I know it's impossible…That he _remembers._ Sometimes when I see him checking me out, I can see the slightest spark of recognition in his eyes. The way he answers his friend's inquiries about the future are said in such a sure voice one could swear he keeps a crystal ball hidden in his room. I hope he does remember. I hope he lives his last days knowing the pain he caused us when we heard that gunshot.

So I sit, and I wait, with Koromaru at my side, for the inevitable end. Somehow I never expected it to work out this way. I'd thought if there was anyone I'd spend the last days on earth with, it would be him. But Koromaru is definitely a much better friend and listener. I wouldn't change things if I could.

Slowly the weather turns warmer again, as it always has, and March emerges with the beginnings of crocuses and cherry blossoms. Still the occasional blizzard whips the blossoming spring from the air, but it always returns stronger than ever after the frost. The world never ceases to amaze me in the ways it can renew itself. I will be sad to say goodbye.

The rhythmic clicking of Koromaru's untrimmed nails slowly lulled me into a trance-like state as we strolled slowly through the town. I was enjoying the feel of spring and the bright sun against my metal plates, though I could not feel the warm promise of summer on the breeze. It was the nicest day we'd had for a while, and soon the humans at the school would start using their summer uniforms.

Distracted as I was in my tranquil state, it took me a moment to notice when I collided with someone, knocking him to the ground with a grunt. Startled, I bent and held out a hand to him helpful, as I had been programmed. He looked up and as his dark gray eyes met my focused blue ones, I froze. Seeing my obvious discomfort, a slow smile spread across his thin lips as he took my hand and pulled himself to his feet.

"You should watch where you're going." Disgust seared through me like hot oil at the flirtatious tone of his voice. Couldn't he feel the hatred radiating from me like tidal waves? Does he really have no heart? His knowing grin only widened and he continued, "You sure know how to knock someone of their feet, though." Subtly, his body moved closer to me and he touched my hand again.

I pulled away almost against my will, repulsed by his touch as if he had struck me. Koromaru growled in warning, but he made no acknowledgement of the dog whose power he had once valued. He only approached again, the slight split between his lips showing perfect white teeth. "Don't be shy, Aigis. We've known each other a long time, haven't we? It's about time I pay you some attention." His words dripped with invitation, and I almost gave in to the look in his eyes. No, what was I doing? After all the he'd done, I could even consider becoming friends—or even more—with him?

"I do not desire any of your 'attention'." I replied, cold as a glacier. With an overly dramatic sigh, he stepped away, looking forlorn. A scowl overcame the stiff features of my face at the act, and I moved aside on the path so he could pass, hoping he'd go away and leave me alone for the next week or so that we had left.

He didn't leave right away though. He let his eyes linger on mine, then drop to my lips for a moment before returning to my face. I blushed ever-so-slightly at the suggestive look, hating myself as I did so. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." With that, he pushed his hands into his pockets and started to step past me, hesitating next to me just long enough to add, "Plans change." I turned my head sharply just in time to catch the faintest shadow of a sneer before he was gone.

I stood rooted to the spot for what seemed like hours. Was he _mocking _me? Did he remember what he had done, and not regret it at all? Did he actually _enjoy_ watching me suffer? The thought was almost unbearable. I refused to believe that any human, save for perhaps Ikutski, could be that cold-hearted. Perhaps I still don't fully understand these people.

"He was only trying to rile you up, Aigis." Koromaru rumbled soothingly, but I could see the anger burning in his intelligent red eyes as clearly as I could feel it raging inside me. "There's no way he remembers. He's just a jerk."

"Yes…" I still wasn't so sure, but there was no way I would ever know. Perhaps it was best not to dwell on it. "You are right, of course, Koro-san. I am certain he meant nothing by it." I forced my legs to move again, and we continued on our way to the shrine in silence.

----

Yeah, so I haven't updated in a while. My last updates were spring break, and after that school got much more hectic. Finals are almost over, so hopefully I'll start updating again when spring comes.

Minato's a jerk. XD Poor Aigis.

Please read and review.


	4. Chapter Three: Sweet Release

Chapter Three: Sweet Release

The day of the Fall…The day we've been waiting for since Ryoji first warned us of Nyx's coming. Graduation day, which should have been a joyous occasion, was tainted by the thought that today everything would end. I was reluctant to join the rest of my classmates, seeing as I'd never forged a bond with any besides the now useless SEES members. Rather than going to the auditorium and hearing the empty words of the principal and Mitsuru, the valedictorian of the graduating class, I stole away to the roof of the school with Koromaru. It had always been my favorite place to sit and think.

We sat in silence for some time, listening to the warm wind rustling the leaves on the trees and the muffled clapping from within the school. It was such a shame that the world was to end just as it was renewing itself, just as the new green fronds of spring were dominating the cold black frost of winter. I'd love to have lived to see at least one more summer, but of course I couldn't very well ask Nyx to wait a few months.

My thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of fur brushing against stone as Koromaru shifted his position and scratched at a flea behind his ear. With a pang I realized that he wouldn't be so mangy and flea-ridden if he still lived in the dorm with us…Not that it would even matter in an hour or so.

"What do you think it will be like, Aigis?" the dog asked suddenly. I was surprised; we had always tried to avoid this ominous topic of conversation, but with the time in question so close at hand I suppose there was really nothing else of any consequence to speak of.

I shrugged, my shoulders making a light mechanical clicking noise at the movement. "I really cannot say. No one will be aware of it. Everything will just…Stop."

Koromaru blinked slowly. "It seems so strange that everything can simply stop existing, just like that." he rumbled. "I wish everyone could at least see it coming, somehow."

"Some would say it is better this way. Ignorance is bliss, I have been told."

"What a dumb saying." Koromaru scraped his claws angrily against the stone roof, his red eyes blazing. "Who would ever choose not to know? Who would ever choose not to do everything in his power to stop such a thing?" Of course we both knew the answer to this; it wasn't necessary for me to reply. We both knew what kind of person took the coward's way out.

As the silence fell over us again, I thought back to the incident a few days ago. It had been the first time any of the SEES members really paid me any mind in a long time, and I'd been slightly shaken by it. Of course they didn't know that I had heard every word they said; my hearing is far better than any human's. I heard all about how Junpei couldn't even remember my name, and his dark-haired companion's knowing smile hadn't escaped my notice either as the two boys sized me up. Even Yukari's lukewarm greeting hadn't been enough to span the great divide between us.

Was it true that they really felt nothing when they saw me? Not even the faintest glimmer of memory had survived when he killed Ryoji? I suppose even that is too much to wish for, though I'm always perturbed by the look in his eyes when he looks at me. I've become more and more convinced with every day that he remembers, and chooses to hold it over my head like a coveted prize whenever he sees me. Maybe we just misjudged him all this time, and he had always harbored this cruel nature beneath the cool exterior.

I could faintly hear Mitsuru's words echoing through the auditorium deep below us. The speech was muffled and indistinct, but even the sound of her voice seemed to make my nostalgia that much stronger. Koromaru heard her too, and he stood with a growl, twitching his ears, and started to pace the roof impatiently.

"I just wish we could get it over with." He snapped irritably. "I'm sick of waiting. I'm sick of thinking. If it's really going to happen, I want it to just happen."

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, wishing for the thousandth that I could feel the warm sun on my face. "Perhaps it will come at any moment. I should begin the process of shutting down."

"Please don't leave me just yet." I was surprised by the desperate whimper Koromaru replied with, and looked over at him questioningly. His ears drooped against his head and his eyes were dull with grief. "I don't want to be alone. I want to be with you to the very end."

Affection swelled up inside me and I knelt beside the furry white dog, putting my arms around him comfortingly. "I won't leave you alone, Koromaru. I'll make sure we're together to the end." I promised. Wagging his tail weakly, Koromaru licked my face and nuzzled me lovingly. For all his human intelligence, he was still a dog, a dog that relished the attention of the ones he loved.

I produced a worn tennis ball from my backpack, and Koromaru's expression brightened to one of almost comical joy. The fact that such a simple thing as a frayed old tennis ball could cheer him up so much brought a smile to my face. We played with the ball often, and it always seemed to help him forget the trouble we face for a time.

"Throw it! Throw it!" The white dog begged, bending into a crouch and waggling his behind in the air playfully. Laughing, I tossed the ball and watched him chase it across the roof and snag it out of the air just before it reached the fence. Koromaru padded back to me and dropped the ball at my feet, then looked up at me expectantly.

I tried to clear my mind as the repetition of throwing and taking back the ball gave me more time to think, but the thoughts wouldn't go away. I couldn't help but wish that the world would end that moment, when Koromaru's eyes were alight with glee and we were enjoying ourselves so much. He was never happier than when we played catch, and I wished his last moment could be as blissful as he was now.

The moment didn't last though, and I was startled out of my thoughts by the bell ringing in the school. The tennis ball bounced out of Koromaru's reach as he too stopped short at the sound. It slipped through the fence and plummeted to earth, landing with a soft _pong_ as it hit the ground far below and ricocheted into the air again. The dog stepped closer to the edge to watch the ball roll through the groups of people leaving the school together. I gripped the fence tightly as I saw a familiar dark head of hair heading towards the school gate along with a hat-clad head and a brunet. Like everyone else, they were off to have fun somewhere, the stress of school forgotten for a time.

"It is coming soon." My voice came as hardly more than a whisper, but Koromaru's keen ears picked it up regardless and he turned his head to me sharply. "In a matter of minutes, it will all end."

Whimpering, Koromaru crept closer to me and pressed his body against my leg, seeking comfort. Without hesitation I sat beside him and pulled his furry white body into my lap and held him close. Though I could feel nothing, somehow I drew comfort from holding the warm living body of the dog. He seemed to feel the same way about me as he made himself comfortable in my lap.

"I love you, Aigis." Koromaru said suddenly. I looked at him sharply. "I love you as much as a dog can love his master. You've always been there for me when I needed you, and you chose to wait out the end of the world with me. I hope we can meet again in the next world…" He rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes.

Stroking his head, I bent over him so my head was resting on his shoulders, nestled softly into his long fur. "I love you too, Koromaru…" I murmured, my voice shaking with emotion. "As much as a robot can love a dog…" I faltered and took a deep breath before continuing. Death was drawing closer, and the world seemed to be fading, as if it were a photograph dulling with the passage of time. "Thank you for being the companion I needed in these last few weeks. I am not certain there is a heaven for robots, but I do hope we meet again someday, somehow."

Koromaru nodded and closed his eyes slowly, a soft sigh escaping his jaws. "I'm sure we will. Someday, somehow."

_Fin._

---

I did mention that this would be a fairly short story. I hope you enjoyed waiting out the end with Koromaru and Aigis.

~_peofun1_


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